The Confession
by Fandommused
Summary: Tensions & crime run high in NYC Leo's return after 2 years Our favorite turtle team having trouble... Mikey tries to lift their spirits, but does anyone notice the changes? If they do, can anything be done...or are the bonds broken? Where is Master Splinter? Who is Salvador? Rated T to be safe due to possible fights. Comments help shape story. 1st Fanfic Ever!
1. Chapter 1: Reality

BTW: This is my first fanfiction ever. I'm still learning the reins, and probably will be for a while. Comment anything you'd like, and helpful criticism will be appreciated, even if it's comments about purpose, or tone, or mood, or perspective, line spacing (if your eyes get tired) or etc. Any questions about why I did something, feel free to ask and if I figure out how to respond, I will. Or, I'll respond at the start of my next chapter, if I continue it, which I want to. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline. All characters and rights go to their respective owners. This is simply for entertainment, not trying to claim any rights to anything. Thanks!

Chapter 1: Reality

Michaelangelo was trying to pay attention, really he was. His bros had just gotten back together two weeks ago- Well, fifteen days ago. Today was day sixteen. So a bit more than two weeks... sixteen sevenths of a week…?

 _"Focus, Michael. You can do this. You are the Nexus Champion! I can watch them argue._  
 _Sooner or later they'll get tired. I can speak up then."_

Mikey had learned a bit from the last time, contrary to popular belief, that it was better not to blindly butt into arguments between Leo, Raph, and especially ones between Raph, Leo, and Donnie.

Don hardly ever partook in small arguments. Unless he thought it would play a role in ensuring their safety.

 _"Well, he used to not argue anyway"_ thought Mikey. Now though, it was hard for Mikey to recognize his brothers. Don argued a lot recently. But, he supposed, they all had changed. And he couldn't say he really recognized himself in the mirror either.

But, as Master Splinter would say, "It is only through understanding that conflict can be avoided." A pang of sorrow goes through Mikey's chest at his master's wise words. The wounds from previous events were still too sharp, too intense to grasp, and certainly too uncomfortable to muse while sitting on the living room couch while his brothers were fighting over something.

 _"What were they fighting about anyway? Dang, I must've spaced out for a while...why are they talking about that?"_

"-since tha first time we went above ground, ya always ordered us around, Leo!" Raph yells.

Leo looks a bit surprised at the statement and responds calmly, "I'm the leader, Raph. That's what I'm supposed to do, in order to keep us safe."

If it was possible for Raph to look even more pissed, he did. "Yeah, but Masta Splinta didn' make ya leada so ya could boss us around and run ou` lives, Leo! Ya just a leader on the field, not at home!"

Leo looks even more surprised at Raph's words, but before he can open his mouth and say something, probably defend himself and explain, Don cuts in,

"What he means, Leo, is that you're our brother too. And since you've been gone a while, you can't just come back and rule our lives with stuff you learned and basically tell us the way we are living is wrong-Just because you learned new stuff. You can teach us stuff in training, but not in our individual lives."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Leo says. Mikey inwardly cringes. He said it so bluntly, so innocently, that it's kind of hard to get upset. Mikey could almost _hear_ Leo's confusion. But Raph managed, looking even more angry than before over the fact Leo wasn't getting it.

And Leo, thank his observation skills, cuts in, "No, I mean seriously, Raph. We are a team, and brothers, at the same time! What I mean is, one thing affects the other, so is there a line? We are still brothers on the field anyway."

 _"He has a point"_ thought Mikey, _"But he's missing their frustration...again."_

Mikey had sat through many 'talks'- as Leo called them- like these. Although, he mused, this one was going rather smoothly. Only Raph was yelling, though that's normal for him. Time for him to try to come in and save the day before it stopped going so smoothly.

"Guys, regardless of our perspectives on our lives, could we get going? It's already 8:15 and we have the lower half of the city to patrol tonight. And if we hurry, maybe we could actually talk, without yelling, when we get back?" Mikey finished, looking down a bit.

Due to looking down, Mikey couldn't see his brothers' surprised expressions. No, they hadn't forgotten he was there... But, they forgot we was part of the team at that point, in the conversation. Leo wondered how their little brother had managed to stay so quiet.

Don spoke up first in a slightly tired, worn voice, "Yeah, we should get going. I'm not sure about talking when we get back though, considering the Foot and the Purple Dragons have been causing a lot of trouble lately."

"So what, we can't talk now?" Raph responses, a bit too sharply. He looks like he regrets it a bit right after, Leo notices. _"Raph, regretting his words? Since when?"_ Leo thinks. It's Mikey that surprises him though, with his cool, slightly crisp response.

"Regardless of when we get home, we won't get together tomorrow just to share our feelings, so it'll be best if we do it tonight,"- And Leo can't help but notice that Mikey looks a tad bit sad when he says this, but just as soon as the look comes on his face, it's gone the next second with his next words- "Besides, word on the street is both gangs aren't planning anything yet, just gathering info on each other. There is one single shipment of supposedly dangerous 'electric guns' or something along those lines down by a warehouse at the edge of Brooklyn. No one really knows what, but they're both going to duke it out for it."

Before Leo can wonder how Mikey knows that, Raph responds, "And the supplier? Where is he 'n this?"

Mikey replies, "Haha dude, if I knew, I would've lead with that. No one knows, the dude or dudette covers his or her tracks too well to trace. But the showdown is suppose to happen at 9:30 tonight."

"And the Kraang?" Don asks.

"No idea. They don't have any tellers or non-Kraang members. Their club is too exclusive for that, not that anybody is looking to join, so they're the wild card for this." Mikey informs. After a pause, he says. "Though some are expecting us to crash the party. Have the electric fences ready. Case says he and April are busy tonight, but to watch out for it. And the Foot Elite will probably be there too, to greet us."

"Great...So, we'll have to blow the place up then." Don says.

This got three distinct reactions, shock from Leo, something resembling glee from Raph, and interest from Mikey.

"Wait! Hold on a minute! Mikey, how do you know that!? And Don, you actually want to blow something up!? What is going on here, guys?" Leo asks, losing just a bit of his composure.

Mikey eyes lost a bit of their mischief and took on a look of pity toward his big brother. Don kept his face neutral, and Raph just looked mad again before his face took on a tired expression.

Taking a breath, Raph tells Leo as bluntly as he can, "Look, Fearless. Mikey gathers info from up above, as do Don an' me. Mike usually gets tha most though. And if we don't have da element of surprise, judgin' by the amount of enemies that'll be there waitin' to kick our shells, there is no way we can just take da guns. So, in orda to not let them get'em, we hafta destoy'em."

"And Leo,"- Don says after a moment's hesitation- "After you left, our team had to compensate for the-uh...loss. So, we each took over some of your jobs. I somehow, don't ask me, became 'appointed leader'. And, seeing as this is our first patrol run back together with you, how about you sit back a bit and help us with our plan?"

Mikey held his breath. He heard it. Shell, Raph and Leo probably heard it too: the unspoken challenge. Don just challenged Leo to say something about the plan. But, Mikey thought, this was getting ridiculous. If that was the case, they'd still have to load up. And they were going to run out of time.

Mikey and Raph both looked at their oldest brother. Leo kept his features unemotional, and coolly responded, "No, Don. That's fine. I just wasn't aware. Whatever you want to do, that's fine."

And, surprisingly, Raph seemed to calm at hearing this. It was Don who looked a bit riled up, shoulders tense and arms crossed over his chest in a defensive demeanor. But, Don sighed and said, even more worn than before as the fight suddenly left him,

"Fine then. There are some carrier bombs in my lab. I made them recently actually, so I'm sure they're live. I'll go pack them and I'll give them out as well as the plan on the way there. Raph, can you get our black bandanas and weapons from the closet in the garage? We'll need them. Mikey, I need you to get our protective tinted goggles from the box under your seat in the Shellraiser and your 'hacking' kit. We'll need it too,"

And, as if almost in an afterthought, Don adds, "Leo, you should go with Raph and change the bindings of your swords." Then, addressing everyone, Don adds, "We meet at the dojo in five to change our weapons and then we're out the door." And with that, everyone went their separate ways.

 _"Well. I don't think that could have realistically gone any better."_ Mikey thinks as he walks to the garage after Leo and Raph. It was weird for Mikey to have Leo back. In reality, it was probably weird from everyone to have Leo back. Regardless of the bumps they had, Raph, Don, and Mikey were now a well oiled three turtle team. Or, as well oiled as they could be.

Now, the challenge was going to be if they could survive the night of patrol. After two years of being one turtle down, Leo's return could give them an edge over their enemies. But, the question was could they still work together as team? If not, it'd be a repeat of their first day above ground...And Mikey wasn't looking forward to that.

* * *

It could've gone gone a lot worse. Much, much worse. Raph new that. And yet, he still felt disappointed over the way things had gone. Don had already given the orders. And although Raph knew even he himself isn't a fan of blindly following orders, did Leo really have to question everything Don did? It was friggin irritating Raph to no end. And Don, letting Leo just come in and take the lead like that...

Sparing a glance at Mikey, Raph saw he was alright, just a bit withdrawn. Not that Raph could blame him…

 _"Shell! Things're so messed up right now! How 're we supposed ta come through with da plan if we can't even talk with eachotha?" Raph wondered._

Raph knew it was a bit hypocritical of him to be mad at Leo for questioning Don, since Raph himself used to do the same thing.

 _"But it's all Leo's fault!...No, it's not! But...if he hadn't left in da firs' place...But still, Leo didn't know…"_

Raph didn't want to blame Leo for not knowing things he wasn't around to learn. He couldn't be expected to just learn in two weeks. And yet, he still found himself resenting the fact Leo was behind. Shell, it was so irritating! And now, Mikey was getting dragged into it too…

 ***Flashback***

 **Mikey and Raph watched as Leo and Don went back and forth. The irony could be felt between the both of them watching the two 'level-headed' turtles yelling at each other. On a roof top, no less! What happened to stealth?**  
 **"Really, Leo? My plan sucks? Where were your plans these past two years? Nowhere! Because you weren't here to make them! So, I'll have you know, this isn't my firs-" Don yelled.**

 **"Master Splinter allowed me to go for training! To get stronger! For the team! And I'm just trying to help! If you want to be leader so bad, then do it! I just don't understand why you're being so-" Leo responded, just as fiercely.**

 **"Bros! You guys wake up the whole city yet? We are supposed to be stealthy. Why don't we-"**

 **"Michaelangelo, how about you stay out of this right now? You're the least stealthy one out of all of us and I'm trying to figure out why the shell Don won't let me help the team. Even if I'm not leading, it's still dangerous what we are doing. Which I know doesn't _really_ concern you, so-" Leo stopped himself, his face instantly morphing from frustration to shock as he processed what he just said.**

 **Mikey paled, but managed to see the shock on Leo's face. Raph saw that Mikey did. And yet, that didn't help Leo's case at all. Seeing Mikey's baby blue eyes get watery, any restraint Raph was willing to use toward Leo conveniently decided to take a hike at that moment.**

 **"Leave Mikey outa this, Leo! Mikey ain't got nothing to do with this, you just need to mind you're own business! If ya aren't going ta help-" Raph angrily said.**

 **"Guys, it isn't really worth the fighting over me or what I just said. Or what Leo said back. Or Donnie. We have other things to take care of." Mikey said coolly, only feeling slightly hurt at Leo's words and cutting the others off. This time, he did see the surprised looks his brothers sent him over the quick change in his character.**

 **Don's calm strong voice rang out, "It's okay, Raph. You're right Mikey, we are going to get caught." Continuing in a softer voice, Don said, "Leo, I'm just trying to tell you the team has changed since you left us. Right now, this is the plan we have: Mikey opens the back door while Raph goes in and distracts. Then the rest of us go in through the front door and drop the bombs all over the place. I'll have most of them and then the blinding ones will go off. We'll leave, followed by the damaging ones 25 seconds later. Then, we'll hide out back through the sewer entrance or call the Shellraiser if needed. If you have a better one, great. I'd love to heard it. But, we're going to run out of time and honestly, a new plan could be rough since we can't work as a team right now."**

 **Raph saw Mikey shiver, as if he were cold, at Don's final words. He said it. After two weeks of denying it and trying to pretend everything was fine, that the team wasn't completely broken. That they were just distant due to the time spent apart, that things would fall back in place, Don spoke the truth…**

 ** _"We aren't much of a team anymore. Not a team of four, at least. Both teams operate completely differently. We've all changed..."_ "Raph thought.**

 **Leo continued in a quiet voice, "You're right, Don. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for snapping at you, Mikey. You're right too, and it isn't you I'm upset at. We should talk about this when we get home. For now, we should go through with the mission like old times. It just seems risky to let Raph distract on his own…"**

 **"You gettin' worried for me, Fearless?" Raph asked with a cocky smirk. Mikey hadn't seen one of those in a while.**

 **"Just a bit. If I went through with you and set the blinding devices, the enemies would have a harder time tracking two enemies that look nearly the same. That way, when Don and Mikey come in, some of the devices could've already gone off and Don could rig the guns in the chaos if we moved the detonator back until about two min thirty seconds." Leo finished in a breath.**

 **"That _could_ work... It sounds safer." Don said easily. "I like it. It'd only take a second to rig them. Let's do it."**

 **But-" Raph started. Mikey spoke up.**

 **"It's safer, Raph. Now, we really have to move our shells. We've got, twenty-five minutes to cover fifteen minutes worth of ground at top speed. We're going to be tired out before we even get there. Let's get a move on."**

 **End Flashback***

* * *

Leo takes the lead to the edge of Brooklyn. Raph sends Don a look Don returns with a, "what? His idea was better" look and Mikey pretends not to see. All Mikey can think about is the fact that they may be about to face all three groups of their local enemies tonight and they haven't even had a training session between the four of them for more than an hour each day. Little did he know, Raph, Don, and Leo were all thinking the same thing.

-end of Chapter 1: Reality


	2. Chapter 2: Reality is a Problem

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or anything but the storyline. All characters and references to the setting are from the show TMNT and belong to their respective owners/creators. Thanks!

Chapter 2 will have a similar set up as chapter 1, pretty blunt in 'setting' the setting (pun not intended) before the battle begins. Though this will have some action. Has some mentions of blood and battle! Not too much though, but read with caution! For the record, the next chapter will have a LOT of graphics and gore, so beware. I'll recap the events of chapter 3 in chapter 4 and put warnings before the sections with blood for you guys in chapter 3, even if it does cut the flow of the story. But anyway, on with it!

Chapter 2: Reality is a Problem

" _I don't know what I expected. Things should be better, right? I mean, Leo's taking the lead. Donnie can relax now...But the air is so_ tense…" Mikey thought as his brothers moved silently across roof tops.

Not a word. Not a _single_ word was spoken on their way.

" _I suppose it's all for the best though...I mean, now we can all focus on the plan. I'm supposed to unlock the door, then wait until Raph and Leo are in, hear the blinding grenades go off, and go in with Donnie. I then cover him while he rigs the guns or puts the bombs on them to go boom, and we leave. No sweat...If we can get past the fence and Elite ninja waiting for us… and if the plan doesn't change again..."_

" _Though the Shredder probably won't be there, this whole thing seems off...Casey said the info was reliable, but all this work for_ one _shipment of guns? There has got to be more to it...Hopefully I didn't lead us into a trap...But Raph and Don seemed okay with it, so-"_

"Yo, Mikey! You listenin'?" Raph asks roughly.

"Uh. no…? Since when have you guys been talking?" Mikey asks before he could stop himself.

Raph looks just a tad bit concerned, his irritation fading as he says, "For tha past 10 minutes, Mikey. Did you not hear _any_ of that?"

"No, not really. Recap for me?" Mikey asks, turning to Don...who was no longer on his right but behind him to the right…

Slowing down, Don replies, "This whole thing seems off. I'm guessing your sources were reliable?"

Mikey took a breath, he thought that if they had concerns, they would bring it up _before_ the mission… now Mikey wasn't sure…

They were still running at this point, and so after another breath, he replied, "Well, Casey tipped me off about the meeting with the basics of wo was there and the weapons. I looked into it. It seems that the Foot, Kraang, and Purple Dragons will be there for sure. And the shipment is of guns, for sure…."

" But I'm not a hundred percent sure about the one shipment though, I _would_ guess it's more, but it seems it is really be one shipment, of like four crates. I don't know why it's so important, but I think they're planning to talk a price." Mikey explained, sounding a bit confused.

"The Purple Dragons owns them, but as recent Foot activity has left them with less territory, they might be planning to talk price and exchanges. I can't figure out why the Kraang is there, though...It could be a trap, as the Foot know that I've been working the streets in their turf, but the whole deal is legit as far as I can tell…" Mikey finished.

"Seems fishy." Donnie agreed. "We'll have to watch our backs and try not to split off. But, back to what we were saying before, we were thinking you could take care of the fence."

Mikey blinked. "Well, of course dude! I have everything I need. If it's like the last one we saw, it'll take around two minutes tops!" Mikey said proudly.

"Sure you can do it, Mikey?" Leo asked a tad bit doubtfully, though you could barely hear it in his voice.

His brothers heard, though. Raph turned to Leo and Don tensed up. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have brought up the mission. Have a little faith in me, will you? I am a ninja after all." Mikey said, suddenly feeling touchy.

Leo looked startled. Mikey was always one to make jokes and reassure him that he could for sure do many spectacular things…

"No, Mikey, it's not that I don't have faith in you, it's just-" Leo hastily responded.

"You always lose your focus? Yeah, not anymore, so relax, okay?" Mikey said, running straight ahead.

"What did I say?" Leo asked, perplexed. He hadn't meant to chase his youngest brother off...He wasn't really expecting an answer.

But he got one. "Mikey takes patrols really seriously now. You can't just ask him if he can do something after he _just_ told us he could. Would you like it if you told us a plan and we asked, Leo, are you sure you can do this, right after?" Don asked angrily before taking off to join Mikey up front.

" _Don, angry? Since when has Don-"_ Leo thought, now completely feeling out of the loop. But his immediate younger brother decided to enlighten him by saying,

"Hav'a little consideration, would ya? We've gotten along fine on tons of patrols and missions with Mikey as our info guide, so don't insult him by implyin' he ain't qualified."

"I didn't mean to. It's just I've never known him to be so serious and street smart. Things are-" Leo replies hotly.

Raph cuts in, "So differen' now, right?" Leo says nothing.

"It's fine, Fearless. Jus'...Just watch fur'a bit. We all changed in da past two years. Mikey doesn't fool around topside anymore like he used to. None of us do."

" _This plan is going by so great, right now!"_ Raph thought sarcastically as he dodged a punch to the face.

Feigning left and sprinting right, he got around the Elite in front of him and hit him in the head with the hilt of his sai, knocking him out.

Looking back, Raph thought " _This really was doomed from the start…_ "

*FLASHBACK*

When they got to the warehouse, everything looked fine. Warehouse by the docks, surrounded by a harmless looking fence. Well, harmless if you didn't count the barbed wire.

As promised, Mikey immediately began to disarm it.

"Time me, Raph? Bet I can do it in under a minute!" Mikey asked him playfully.

"Sure, Mike." Raph responded, a bit startled.

" _When was the last time Mikey an' I fooled around with eachotha'?" Raph had thought._

All the brothers had watched as Mikey opened his tool box, a small metal lunch box covered in Star wars stickers, and pulled out tools from it. In a blur of motion, he had gloves on, a small set of pliers, and was setting up a wire connected to a battery to the barbed wire on the fence. A switch was flipped, some tinkering done with the spikes, and a few cuts later, the wire was cut. The electric current was broken.

"One minute, eighteen seconds." Raph told Mikey.

"Daaaang. That's still a new record though. Granted, this was the first time I did this, but I should've been faster than _that_. That's almost as long as it takes for Donnie to hack Kraang tech." Mikey said displeased, somewhat to himself.

Before anyone could wonder where his joy was, he was packing everything up and wrapping the end of the wire with electrical tape.

"Alright, Raph and Leo follow me. I'll meet you by the right side of the building, Don." Mikey had sped off.

Again, Mikey took out a lock picking set from his tool box and opened the door. The door had two locks on it, like a normal door.

"How long?" Mikey asked, putting his stuff away.

In reality, Raph hadn't counted. "Twenty-seven seconds." Raph had said, guessing. Mikey had been fast.

"I counted thirty-two. Still took too long. Have fun you guys! Remember, press the button and eight seconds to touch the ground away from you," Mikey said, teasing, but not. Then he left.

Raph and Leo barged in and split up. Raph spotted the crates. There were four of them, in the middle of the floor. Four Foot Elite ninjas attacked them. A lizard surrounded by the Foot had shouted something to Hon, though Raph couldn't focus on what.

"The Kraang have left. Said the deal wasn't worth it." Leo told him, dodging two Elites both slashing their sword and bo staff at him.

"Ready…? Go!" Leo yelled.

Raph was ready and pressed the button on the small, can shaped container. And threw it. It ignited with a CLICK.

He used all of them but one. Thanks to his goggles he could still see a bit as long as he didn't look directly at it.

Looking forward, he saw almost every enemy doubled over, shaking their heads, blinking, or clutching their eyes. Raph had felt no remorse. Life as a vigilante had taught him pity led you nowhere. He also saw Don and Mikey near the crates, Mikey looking around as Don crouched down. He fumbled with the lid and opened the crate...

Then Don yelled, "Get back!" Raph watched for a second as Mikey and Don turned to leave and then turned to leave as well. He saw Leo already ahead of him, holding the window glass open near the ceiling.

Raph had seen there was no one but Foot bots in there with them. Then, smoke.

Smoke seeped in and filled every single sense he had.

" _Don't breathe it in!...Donnie! And Mikey! They were too near the smoke!"_ Raph had thought.

The smoke probably came from the crates.

With a jolt he realized… " _This was a trap._ "

Then, he couldn't hold his breath any longer… he breathed it in. And it burned. Like fire going down his throat. And he coughed. And coughed. Until his eyes watered. He was dimly aware of Leo coughing and grabbing hold of him, of them making their way to somewhere.

They had been going to Don and Mikey, already making it toward the back door. Raph hadn't been able to see a thing. But Leo somehow knew where he was going.

Around the same time he heard Don and Mikey hacking up their lungs, Don shouting something at Mikey in a concerned voice. Raph sensed something coming toward him at his side. He dodged.

Barely able to look up, doubling over to breathe was too important at the time, he sensed other forms around him. Leo was already pushing him forward, also coughing, and fighting the bots. They had been surrounded by some Foot bots.

Raph had heard Don yell, "Come on! Out the back!" At the time, Raph still couldn't see through the smoke. He was also too wrapped up in breathing, but managed to stab a few bots.

He then heard Don yell yet again, and Mikey was suddenly at his side, pulling him and fighting off bots at the same time. Leo was yelling too.

Basically, it had been a rough time. They made it out though.

The four of them doubled around the building. And were confronted with four Foot Elite ninjas, one huge lizard dude, Tiger claw, Hon, and around thirty or so Foot bots coming round the back door to surround them. There were around forty Purple Dragons as well.

It was rough. The plan had failed, doomed from the start. The turtles had formed a line, ready to protect themselves against their enemies.

*END FLASHBACK*

But, back to the present. Raph was pretty upset he hadn't had the chance to check on his brothers. He dodged, stabbed, kicked, threw, and growled at the Foot bots. But they just kept coming from all sides. Raph wasn't tired though. Not know with his brothers who knows where, and with only…..twenty or so left, he noticed with a satisfied smirk.

" _I hope they're okay. They better be…"_ Raph thought.

He had no idea where anyone was. And as the 'protector' in the family, this was absolutely eating at him with the beginnings of panic. He focused on his battle as much as he could, but Raph couldn't get over how quickly everyone had split up...

Then Leo joined his fight. For some unknown reason, all the Foot bots had been directed at Raph. The both fought a ways away from each other, and but they both fought well.

"The Purple Dragons went after Don. One of the Elites went after me. One went after Mikey. I don't know where the rest are. Don is by the left side of the building. We need-" Leo dodged a Foot bot who aimed to stab him and swept his legs under it, impaling the bot through the chest on the ground. "To hurry, Raph."

And they did. Raph was worried. Which of course made him feel anger toward his enemies. Pity for them, really. Raph threw himself at them, fighting from close range, so close he could reach and shove them over...Which he did. He spun and attacked, and attacked, and attacked.

Both older brothers fought like two furies, taking out all the bots in all of two minutes… And neither spoke a word to each other. Not of help, or warning, or thanks, unless you counted the words Leo told him before.

It was two _separate_ fights, happening near each other. But they won. They took a single breath...

And then, came the two Elites. " _That makes all four accounted for."_ Raph recounted, somewhat relieved, although seriously ticked about the whole thing. Then he realized that if that Elite was here, it had finished its battle with Mikey…

" _What is going on?_ " Raph thought. Mikey wasn't dying, of that he was sure. Mikey was with Don, they would call for help. And his little brothers knew what they were doing. Besides, they were probably facing the Purple Dragons lackeys. Only Hon was somewhat a concern, but they were strong...

Neither brother noticed all the Purple Dragons, including Hon, leave. And neither knew, or remembered the Lizard that led the Foot bots.

Two Elites, one fighting with a sword, the other with two seraph blades. They attacked. Leo sped off and drew the attention of the one with the single, long, sharp katana. That left Raph with the one with the two swords…

And _then_ came the scream. A scream that made Leo and Raph both feel frozen down to their bones…

It was Mikey's voice. Scared. Yelling for help. For _Raph's_ help.

"R-Raph! Help!-" A pause. "It's Donnie! I can't hold them-Off! He's hurt!" Mikey yelled, sounding like he was in the middle of a battle. And terrified. Which was pretty observant of Raph, as he _was_ , in fact, in the middle of a battle.

Raph was ready to speed off, but he couldn't leave Leo.

" _I can't leave 'im…. What am I supposed ta do?! I can't beat 'em all! I'm wastin' time, but-" Raph thought frantically._

A three fingered grip was placed on his shoulder. Both brothers looked at each other for one second. All at once, Leo's blue eyes became so expressive, just like when they were young tots…

They were grim, plagued with fear and guilt, but there was also honesty, strength, and reassurance...like the look Leo would give _him, the second oldest_ , before they split look was so _Leo_. And just like that Raph calmed...Raph had forgotten what that look looked like.

Leo gave a nod, and attacked both Elite ninjas. In a moment of distraction, Raph sped off toward the other side of the building. A million scenarios went through his head... _Mikey impaled, standing over a dying Don…both lying in a pool of blood….spreading-_ The Elite appeared in front of him, only for Raph to jump in close and stab him in the stomach. He pulled the blade out and continued running, because darn it he was leaving his oldest brother alone for his younger two…

" _They better be alright…_ " Raph thought as he dashed, looking straight ahead toward the side of the building

The Elite returned to Raph's side, and suddenly Leo was _there_ , fighting the Elite off.

Raph ran across the lot, and Leo was faced two Elite ninjas, trained in teleportation and magic.

-end Chapter 2: Reality is a Problem


End file.
